September 25, 2007
The Symbol Of The Gold Cup
The use of a gold cup, also known as a loving cup, for celebration purposes has a long history that is intertwined with marriage customs, sporting victories and general celebration purposes. Loving cups offer an opportunity for a common celebration that unites people in their happiness.
A Cup, Chalice, Bowl or Goblet
The shape of many sporting trophies is in the form of a cup, bowl, chalice or goblet. The meaning of community and unity is implicit in the shape of the loving ?cup?. This is because the celebration traditions related to the gold cup or loving cup are from a time in the past when people used these different cup styles for drinking in celebration together.
Loving Cups Of Celebration
The loving cup is a feature at traditional northern European weddings and other celebrations. Another name for the loving cup is the cup of friendship. The Scottish tradition involves passing around a bowl of whiskey so everyone can have a celebration drink together.
Famous Gold Cups
The two handled cup or bowl is a traditional sports trophy shape. Famous gold cup trophies include the Stanley Cup, the World Cup, America?s Cup and the Melbourne Cup. Two handled cups are a familiar shape for many trophy awards and not all of these cups are famous.
Favoured Shape For Sports Awards
The use of a gold cup for sporting trophies and as an award for exemplary behavior is an old tradition that is connected to celebrations from ancient times. The loving cup is a familiar trophy for many kinds of sports including bowling, hockey, football, golf and soccer. More cup trophies are used for team sports award than for individual sports awards. Many times, there is an accompanying tradition that goes with the trophy cup and that usually is that the loving cup is passed from winner to winner.
A later example of the use of a gold cup as a celebration tool comes from the “love feasts” of the early Methodist church which involved the use of a loving cup. This loving cup also had a handle on each side so it could be passed around easily. Probably the Methodists of the 1700s got their idea about the loving cup from older traditions.
The use of a gold cup as a symbol of celebrations is still going strong despite its old roots in human history. The loving cup is a wonderful symbol for the deep and shared feelings that accompany many of our triumphant and happy moments in life.